Heavy Recovery Vehicle Lighting Emergency

Heavy Recovery Vehicle Lighting

Emergency Lighting for Heavy Recovery

Generalizations about Heavy Recovery Lighting

How many people riding around in their cars at night give a thought to what happens if their lights go out? Moreover, how many night-time drivers think about what would happen if emergency vehicles -- tow trucks, for example -- could not depend upon proper, thorough lighting when on an assignment to pull that driver's car out of a ditch, should he or she lose control and leave the safety of the highway? Those thoughts and worries likely do not cross the minds of most people cruising along in the safety of their late-model, leather-seated Honda, or Toyota, or Cadillac. The world seems oh so very safe and secure, even at night, when American drivers are tucked luxuriously into their precious vehicles on a dark and windy road, their CDs pumping out their favorite music.

And further, how many people driving on a two-lane road in rural New Jersey wonder what would happen if a fully-loaded 18-wheeler lost control and spun out just ahead of them, tipping over sideways, blocking the highway and their route home after a long trip? That kind of accident occurs every night in a multitude of places throughout the U.S.

And when it does happen, a lot of concern and faith is riding with the police, the ambulance personnel, the emergency heavy removal company; and a lot of worry is connected to the trucking company that owns the 18 wheeler, with the driver of the 18-wheeler and his loved ones, and with the commuters who are stuck waiting for the heavy removal vehicle to arrive -- and their loved ones as well.

And the bottom line at night -- well beyond the abilities of the men and women operating the equipment, and the strength and reliability of the equipment itself, and beyond the things that are out of the control of the rescue / removal people like weather -- is the need for dependable, quality lighting. If the talented, professionally trained people operating heavy recovery equipment can't see clearly, and there are too many shadow points blocking their ability to get the job done, they are handicapped. In fact, if there is not ample light available to illuminate every aspect, even the smallest piece of the puzzle, then mistakes may happen, the job won't get done as efficiently as it should be.

Safety of Heavy Recovery Vehicle Operators: Proper lighting can save lives and help avoid serious injuries while rescue operations are underway. A report published in Pit & Quarry (Babin, 2004), reveals that "five deaths and 396 serious injuries have been caused by falls from big rig-style trucks since 1992" in the mining industry alone.

Meanwhile, how important are lights on a statistical basis within the heavy vehicle genre? According to an article in Beverage World, "Truck lighting systems are the most frequently-repaired components, and rank fourth in cost-per-mile to maintain" (Deirlein, 1995), and it's a good thing that most heavy recovery operators stay on top of that fact.

Headlamps: The Maintenance Council (TMC) of Alexandria, Virginia (part of the American Trucking Association), in a recent article ("Tomorrow's Trucks: Progress Review and Reappraisal of Future Needs") reports that originally installed headlamps in new trucks "have an average life of 200 days, and replacements last an average of 540 days.

What goes wrong with headlamps on most occasions? " ... Some 60 to 70% of electrical problems are ground-related," the article explains. The headlamp connectors are first to go out, and starter connectors are next to fail; plugs on the back of the headlamps and on dash-mounted switches are often "deemed inefficient." And the reason those high-amperage connections plug fail is that they cannot handle the loads "produced by lights and heater motors." Deirlein's research reveals a few things to ponder for headlamp maintenance: a) "avoid cranking your rig with headlights burning"; b) lamp connections should be injection-molded, with "positive-lock, polarized, bullet-type connectors"; c) make sure the electrical system is designed to "isolate lamp circuits" from 150-volt surges, which can burn out bulb filaments in "mere microseconds"; d) clean lamps and lenses, but avoid alkaline, acid, and petroleum-based cleaning agents, which are not compatible with plastic wiring.

Stand-Alone Upright Lighting: The new "Wobble Light LLC's" work light provides a dependable and durable source of nighttime outdoor light for heavy recovery workers. According to Engineering News-Record, the Wobble Light is a "virtually indestructible lighting unit that can take a sever beating from workers, vehicles, debris and drops." Fire and rescue workers will find that the Wobble Light resists heavy impacts due to its polycarbonate dome, and probably one of its most useful features is that it repositions itself when bumped or knocked over.

It stands 36 inches tall and is 18 inches wide; it has a heavy counter-weight on its rounded bottom, and may roll around a bit when knocked around or kicked, but like a buoy bobbing in the ocean, it always regains -- and usually maintains -- its upright position, which is important when heavy removal work is going on and light is desperately needed.

The Wobble Light's bulb is jar-proof, according to the manufacturer, due to a "floating shock system" surrounding the bulb. Speaking of the bulbs, the Wobble uses a 120-watt Fluorescent, and 175, 250, 400, and 500-watt metal halide bulbs, and several Wobbles can be strung together, providing a wonderful source of light for workers and drivers, no matter what the conditions or how far out in the remote wilderness the work is being done. If using a 175-watt Metal Halide, a recovery worker could string 12 Wobbles per each 20 amp circuit.

When using a 250-watt Metal Halide, 6 Wobbles can be strung together per 15 amp circuit, and 8 Wobbles can be used in a string of lights per 20 amp circuit. Using a 400-watt Metal Halide bulb a worker can string together up to 4 Wobbles per 15 amp circuit, and 5 Wobbles per 20 amp circuit. And using 500 watt Metal Halide bulbs, the recovery workers can string together 3 Wobbles per 15 amp circuit, and 4 Wobbles per 20 amp circuit.

Another handy feature of the Wobble is that the outlet on the bottom is ideal for a power tool to be plugged into (or another Wobble light of course).

While this paper is not intended to be an advertisement for the Wobble, from what the industry describes in specifics, and what the manufacturer offers in the company website (www.wobblelight.com) about the light, it seems worth investigating as a very helpful source of light for heavy recovery professionals. Is it waterproof? No, and though it does perform "during inclement weather" it is "not water tight and can accumulate water in the base," according to the manufacturer's product description.

The manufacturer also suggests letting the metal halide bulb warm up for "few minutes" after plugging the light in, prior to turning it on. This is something to consider for a heavy recovery team when considering a stand alone light product, because if light is needed in seconds, and minutes should go by to properly use the light, a conflict could possibly occur.

Stationary Lighting: A very good light source that can be mounted on to the side of a truck and can be used to flood inside a vehicle, or clamped to any post or stationery structure, and made to shine light outside on work areas, is called "Versa Light Dock Light." The advantage of this light is its stainless steel flexible tube, which bends freely, allowing the 117-watt low voltage halogen bulb to do its work.

It looks around corners, over obstructions, and under vehicles. A big rig that has gone off the road, say, needs light shone on key areas, and this kind of flexible light might be helpful.

The Versa Light Dock Light features a step down power transformer, a circuit breaker switch, an adjustable 42" tube, a computer fan, and "pre-drilled holes for easy installation."

Hand Held Lights: In the May, 2004 issue of Fire Engineering product section there is a review of the new Pelican MITV-LITE, reportedly among the longest burning lights available. It shines brightly and consistently for up to 10,000 hours. And a quick visit to the company's Web site (www.pelican.com) also shows an LED hand-held "Little Ed Recoil" light that is waterproof, chemical-proof, and uses a polycarbonate O-ring sealed shroud. It weighs just .306 kg, and burns AA alkaline cells for 32 hours. It comes in black, and yellow, and the "on-off" switch is designed so that any heavy recovery worker wearing thick gloves can still turn the light off or on without taking off the thick gloves.

Hand Held Light with Charger: The Pathfinder MKII, meanwhile, offers a charger system with a module that can be switched out with a worn-out module in "a few seconds," according to the British manufacturer. A 5.7aH battery pack does not come standard with the battery, and is extra, but the 220 VAC, 110 VDC unit can also be recharged while in the battery unit. It comes with a built-in tripod, so heavy recovery workers needing an auxiliary source of light can adjust its stream of light exactly where it is needed, and keep it there. The flashlight is 2.5 kg, 340 mm long and 160 mm in diameter.

Wearable Lights: The Pelican manufacturer offers a hands-free light (#2680 "Headsup Lite") that is ideal for recovery professions who have their hands full dealing with emergencies and other demanding, and the last thing they need is to have to fiddle with off-and-on switches, and worry about battery staying power.

The light is an LED flashlight that puts out the illumination of a high performance incandescent -- and yet the manufacturer claims the Headsup doesn't project those "dark spots and irregular beam pattern" which are part and parcel of most standard filament lamps. How are they able to produce a clear, clean flood of light with no shadows? The Headsup (and other Pelican lighting products) offers what they call "recoil LED technology," which means the LED light is pointed backwards onto a reflector, so all available light is used, they claim. No "peripheral projection."